Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Care Utilities District trustees approve minutes and financials, review 2026 budgets and capital needs
Summary
At their December meeting, Care Utilities District trustees approved Nov. minutes and financial statements, discussed 2026 water and wastewater budgets including a recently PUC-approved rate adjustment, noted a $115,000 loan retirement and an $18,000 wastewater shortfall, and moved into executive session on personnel.
At their December meeting, the Care Utilities District Board of Trustees approved the Nov. 12 meeting minutes and the November financial statements and discussed the proposed 2026 budgets for water and wastewater, capital equipment needs and a pending executive session on personnel.
The board voted to approve the Nov. 12 minutes after Speaker 2 moved and a second was recorded; Speaker 1 then called for approval and the minutes were indicated as approved. Later the trustees voted unanimously to approve the November financial statements for water and wastewater after a motion and second.
Trustees spent the bulk of the meeting reviewing budget projections for 2026. Speaker 4 said the revenue side of the water budget reflects a rate adjustment that was submitted to and approved by the state Public Utilities Commission. "It's approved. We got the approval back," Speaker 4 said. Board members discussed a preference for smaller, regular annual adjustments rather than larger multi‑year jumps; Speaker 3 noted that smaller adjustments can be processed faster by the PUC, while larger percentage increases typically require additional filings and a longer approval timeline.
On capital and debt, Speaker 4 said retiring the final water station loan will reduce debt service by about $115,000 a year beginning in the second quarter, which should help absorb financing costs for an upcoming river‑crossing project without requiring another rate increase. For wastewater, Speaker 4 reported a current operating shortfall of approximately $18,000 for the year and recommended preserving reserves rather than repeatedly running deficits.
Trustees discussed near‑term equipment needs: Speaker 4 described plans to put a backhoe out to bid to determine pricing and financing options, and trustees debated alternatives such as leasing or sourcing lightly used machines. The board also discussed selling a vac truck and other equipment via auction; Speaker 4 said the truck will be sold but expressed concern about auction platforms that accept no minimum bid.
Near the end of the public portion, Speaker 1 moved that the board enter executive session to discuss personnel matters, citing a state statute. Speaker 4 seconded the motion; the vote tally is not recorded in the provided transcript segments.
The board did not take any additional formal actions on the record in the provided transcript beyond the approvals of the minutes and the financial statements. Next procedural steps discussed included finalizing capital specifications for bids and providing trustees with updated debt‑service and river‑crossing payment estimates at the next meeting.
